Life with Love and War
by ElvenHuntress
Summary: Sequel to Tears of a Falling Star. The Guardians are now settled into Autobot life. But the war between 'Bots and 'Cons still rages. It will take the bonds that tie them together to keep them alive and be able have a family.
1. Chapter 1

A loud boom echoed through the Ark. Lunar Eclipse woke with a start, knocking Jazz off the berth. A grunt followed by a wave of apologies led the two to step out of their quarters. They walked down towards a lesser-used part of the Ark. Coming to a set of large doors, Eclipse knocked at them. They slid open to reveal Wheeljack standing unstably. He fell forward and Jazz caught him while his bond- mate looked inside.

"Wheeljack, again?! You're going to really do your self in one day," she told the scientist. He gave her a small, weak chuckle.

"At least I now that that combination doesn't work," he said weakly, his head fins barely lighting up. Eclipse sighed and shook her head.

"Better get him to Hatchet. Primus knows he's going to love being woken up for this, unless he's up already." Jazz chuckled and helped Wheeljack to the 'bay. Eclipse activated her comm.

[Prowl[ she said.

[Yes, Eclipse[ he replied.

[Wheeljack blew up his lab again. I'm going to need help cleaning it up [ she told him. She swore she heard Prowl let off some sort of sound.

[All right. I'll send Ironhide down to help you[ By the time Ironhide arrived to help, Eclipse was already busy putting things back together.

"Not as bad as usual," she said, glancing around. Ironhide gave her a strange look.

"You can actually tell?" he asked.

"Sure. Not as much is blown up. I think this was simply something that went off and mostly caught Wheeljack. Not that Ratchet cares." Ironhide shook his head and they cleaned the lab up fairly quickly. Eclipse walked out of the room and had to lean against the wall as the gyros went off. She stayed still for a moment and was still leaning against the wall when Ironhide came out.

"Hey Eclipse. You all right?" he said, sounding concerned. She gave him a weak smile.

"I think I missed my morning Energon. I'm kinda running low on energy. I'll be fine," she told him. He gave her a glance then told her that he would check on Wheeljack. She thanked him and watched him walk off. She stood back up and made her way to her shared quarters. Jazz would be gone and she really didn't feel like talking to anyone. As she sat down on the berth with a cube of Energon, she sighed. Of course she had taken her morning Energon. She wasn't that stupid, but she wasn't telling 'Hide that. He'd usher her to Ratchet. He wasn't going to have Ratchet, Jazz and his own bond-mate after him for not making sure she was fine. There was a knock on the door and Eclipse called for them to come in. Firefly looked in then walked into the room. She looked ecstatic about something.

"Hey 'Fly. What's up?" she asked the femme medic. Her gold and red amour shone now and her optics were bright. Being Ratchet's mate had helped her forget a hard past.

"Hey Lunar. Nothing much. Just wanted to talk," she said, sitting down next to her.

"Oh, about what?"

"You wouldn't believe the conversation Ratchet and I were having last night after Sunstreaker's joke." Last night Elita and Chromia had nearly dented his head in due to a question of him asking why there were none of their sparklings running around. Eclipse and Firefly had been on their way to round up their respective mates when he nearly crashed into them. Firefly had done them the favor, then when they heard what he had said, Eclipse gladly added her option.

"What?"

"He asked if I wanted sparklings. I was a bit shocked. I never took Ratchet for that type, but he said it might be nice after this war ends. I told him I agree." Her face shone.

"That's good 'Fly. You'd make a good Creator."

"So would you and Jazz," she replied. Eclipse nearly choked on her Energon. She gave 'Fly a look.

"We've talked about it. Neither of us would mind. But we can only wait. We'll know when the time is right." Firefly nodded her head in understanding.

"It would be nice. Though it is sort of hard to imagine Ratchet as a Creator. But underneath his rough exterior, he is very sweet." A knocking interrupted.

"Come in," Eclipse called. A shy looking femme walked in. She wasn't very tall and very lightly built. She had several shades of green that blended together. Her green optics were soft and she had a kind smile.

"Hello Eclipse, Firefly," she said softly. The two femmes nodded to her.

"What do you need Waterfall?" Eclipse asked, motioning to a chair, which the femme took.

"I wanted to ask you something that I've been wondering."

"If you like, I can leave," Firefly suggested. The femme shook her head.

"Oh, no Firefly. I wouldn't mind hearing what you think," she said hurriedly.

"Well?" Eclipse asked gently.

"Well, I…um. I wanted to tell Hound that I like him, but I don't really know how he feels and I…" the femme trailed off, looking uncertain. Eclipse and Firefly shared a knowing glance.

"So the tracker caught your optic did he?" Firefly asked. Waterfall looked embarrassed.

"Hey, now. I'm not being mean. That's great. I mean, I was worried you might fall for Sunstreaker or something but I figured that you were smarted than that." Waterfall made a face.

"That strutting peacock? He has more feathers for a CPU that a bird does. I was amazed when he started preening." Eclipse and Firefly broke into laughter, Waterfall putting on a small smile. The two femmes stopped in a few moments then seemed to think.

"Well, it's been what now. About a year since you came?" Waterfall nodded.

"I haven't heard anything, but Hound isn't the type to blurt everything out. He's one that keeps his private things, well, private." Waterfall agreed with a nod.

"I can't suggest anything 'Fall except to talk to him. That's the only way. Hound's just that type. At least you don't have to worry about him doing anything in front of the others," Eclipse said.

"Or being locked into a storage bay for an hour," Firefly added. Waterfall gave her a worried look.

"The twins locked me and Ratchet in one once, by accident. That's when I blurted it."

"I guess I'll try it," she said. Eclipse stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. If it's meant to be, it'll happen." Waterfall gave her a small smile before standing as well and heading out of the room.

"I've got to get too. I need to make sure Ratchet hasn't welded poor Wheeljack to a berth." With that, she headed back to the medbay. Eclipse sighed and laid down on the berth. She didn't have an assigned duty today so she was going to rest. Primus was she tired. She slipped into recharge, sleeping most of the day.

When Jazz came in later that evening, he chuckled at the sight of Eclipse curled up on the berth. He lay down beside her and watched as her visor activated.

::Hey love:: he said over their bond. She smiled and leaned over to kiss him before snuggling closer to his frame.

::Back from patrol?::

::Yeah. Ya been sleepin' all day?:: She muttered a yes then slipped back into recharge. Jazz frowned at her being so tired and decided to ask Ratchet the next day. For now, he was content to have her curled up beside him.

* * *

EH: Here is the sequel. I hope you like. I hope this doesn't go too fast but I think I have something figured out. I hope you enjoy! 


	2. Chapter 2

When Jazz onlined the next day, he noticed that Eclipse wasn't in the room. He felt for her through their bond and she replied back, telling him she was in the command center. He left the room and entered the command center to see her sitting in a commutation chair, on duty. He walked up behind her and looked down. She craned her head up to see him and smiled.

"Hey love. Recharge good?" she asked. He gave her a funny look.

"Ya not tired?" She raised an optic ridge.

"I'm fine. You're worrying about nothing Jazz."

"If ya say so," he said, leaning down and kissing her forehead. Eclipse seemed to watch him in the monitor's reflection.

"_I'm sorry Jazz,"_ she thought to herself. She kept her bond calm, not letting him sense her true feelings. After he walked out, her thoughts turned to what she had to do. She hated it, but it had to be done, for their safety.

Days turned into weeks and time pasted as usual at the Ark. From battle to recovery to rest then to another battle. The only thing that changed was something that worried Jazz. Eclipse had not only taken to flying far above the battles, unwilling to participate, but she had also developed a nasty temper. More and more things would set her off. Only Firefly seemed unworried by her strange behavior and she had cleared her physical health but suggested she not fight, leaving Eclipse grounded at the Ark. Jazz was often the brunt of her temper when she didn't release it. He took it as a serious job and worked to keep her from ending up in the brig, though not having much success. She would get in small skirmishes with the other Autobots and would be sent there. After a failed prank by the Twins, she had gone on a rampage, sending the two into stasis. Though she had not seriously injured the Twins, she was sentenced to 72 hours in solitude.

"_Three days,"_ he thought to himself. Primus, he was hurt. He couldn't understand what had gotten into her. As he watched Prowl and Ironhide flanking her as they led her away, he saw Firefly rush up and click at her. She gave quiet clicks back and Firefly nodded before standing aside and watching her being led away.

"What's goin' on with 'er?" he asked the femme medic. She looked at him.

"I don't really know Jazz. I wish I did." With that she turned and walked away. Jazz had a strange suspicion that something was going on. But he wasn't going to push her. He spent those three nights in an uneasy recharge. Eclipse had been steadily smothering the bond so that he couldn't sense her. He became unusually concerned, especially without her familiar presence. His smiles and jokes were forced and keeping his upbeat appearance was getting hard. He knew he was going to have Ratchet after him soon. Finally the time came and Eclipse was free. Prowl walked into the command center with a frown on his face.

"Jazz, something is going on with Eclipse. She was heading for your quarters last we saw," he told him. The saboteur immediately got up and headed to their shared quarters. But when he arrived, she wasn't there and he couldn't sense her.

::Eclipse? Eclipse, come on now, answer me:: he asked her. There was no response. He saw Ratchet hurrying towards him.

"Jazz, have you seen Firefly?" he asked with worry. He shook his head and Ratchet seem to wither.

"I have no idea where she is."

"Eclipse isn't around. I can't sense her at all." Ratchet looked at him, alarm in their optics.

"Primus no, they couldn't have left, could they?" he asked to the air. Jazz had the sinking feeling they had. Returning to the command center, they told everyone what they thought and Red Alert brought up a camera screen showing the two walking out of the Ark, transforming and taking off.

"_Oh Eclipse. Where have you gone?"_

Over the several days that pasted, they heard nothing from the femmes. Jazz was often seen standing outside the Ark, watching the skies. Ratchet stayed in the medbay and was constantly moving and replacing his tools. The CMO refused to stay still for long and was getting little recharge. One night several days after they disappeared, Ratchet appeared along side Jazz, watching the skies with him. The air was still and no sounds were heard.

"I don't understand," Ratchet said softly. Jazz didn't need to say anything, he felt the same. They stood there, floating through their own thoughts when a presence pulled at them.

::_Jazz_::

::_Ratchet_::

The two glanced at each other, making sure it wasn't their CPUs imagining the voices. But it wasn't. Feeling the urging of their bond-mates, they transformed and drove off into the night. They drove for hours, keeping just below the speed limits on the highways though they wanted to fly. They came to a large mountain that was in a secluded area. When they transformed, a strange looking transformer met them. Looking like a bizarre, deformed rhino on short, stocky legs, it snorted at them to get their attention. It wore the Guardian symbol on its forehead. It turned and motioned them to follow it and they did so, right into the mountainside. It led them down several corridors, going deeper into the mountain. The Guardian would pause to make sure they were still following then continue on. The two mechs looked at the walls, which were smooth and had pictures on them. They recognized the Guardian symbol and concluded that these were stories of the former ones. Further they went, reading the history that was on the wall. They came to a large cavern and discovered that it was in fact a large space shuttle, buried in the mountain and that they were currently standing in the command center.

"So you are some of the Autobots that helped defeat Centercord," a voice rumbled. From a bridge above, a tall, lanky Guardian stood there. His blue optics watched them, showing no signs of hostility.

"Who are you?" Ratchet asked.

"My name is Flash Trick, the new head of this leg of Guardians. It is an honor to meet you." The Guardian walked from his place down to ground level.

"I would suspect that you are looking for your bond-mates, right?" he asked softly. He chuckled quietly at their expressions.

"Follow me," he said and led them away, "You wouldn't believe how much they talk about you. They are very close to you two. I don't think that they have stopped worrying about you since they came."

"What are dey here for?" Jazz asked. The mech gave them a sympathetic look.

"I'm afraid that is something I can't speak of. But they have been taken well care of, rest assure." They continued to walk further until they came to a set of double doors. The mech stopped and he motioned them inside as the doors opened.

* * *

EH: All right, here's this chapter. I have a little challenge for those who want to join in. I am introducing six new Autobots throughout the story. Realize I do have names, but I wanted to see if someone has some better names (which they probably do). I'm putting off the story of a short while so people can tell me what they think in a review or PM. There are 4 femmes and 3 mechs. I'll give you colors. You can also suggest alt mode- vehicle or animal.

* * *

Femme 1 Pink and white with blue optics

Femme 2- Red and brown with blue optics

Femme 3- Gold and white with blue optics

Femme 4- Silver and l. blue with gold optics.- Twin to mech 3.

Mech 1- Black and red w/ silver optics

Mech 2- Green and blue w/ green op.

Mech 3- silver and d. blue w/ gold op- Twin to Femme 4.


	3. Chapter 3

The two mechs stepped onto the chamber. The cavern was large, the ceilings vaulted high. The floor was covered in water except for a small island that was still visible and a small path that led to it. They looked out across the cavern and saw two figures curled up on the island. Recognizing their bond-mates alt modes and sensing the bonds between them, began to move along the path that led to the island. They paused as the water rippled along the path. Two serpents lifted their heads, watching the bots. They glanced at the femmes then looked then back at them. They nodded towards the femmes and the mechs moved on. When they stepped into the island, they went to their respective mates.

Ratchet kneeled next to the curled form of Firefly and placed his hand on her back. The large wolf femme's amour rippled under his touch. Her optics activated with a crystal glow. As they returned to normal, she felt along their bond and Ratchet felt her brush along him, asking.

:Forgive me?: She asked him.

:Of course Firefly: he said.

Jazz also went next to his mate. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he called to her gently. Her optics fluttered on, catching Jazz in her sight and she lifted her head.

:Jazz, I'm so sorry. But I had to. Please forgive me: she said softly over their bond. Jazz wrapped an arm around her.

:Most certainly: he replied.

"Why did you leave?" Ratchet asked his mate. Firefly lifted her head carefully and looked into his optics. Then she reached around to grab something.

"Don't worry 'Clipse. No one's mad. We were all worried though," Jazz told Eclipse.

"There is something that I want you see. The reason we came here," she said. She motioned to her curled side and Jazz moved to the other side of Eclipse. She pulled back her wing to reveal…

Ratchet simply stared. He couldn't comprehend this.

"This? It really? I don't…" Firefly pushed her snout against his chassis and Ratchet gently wrapped his arms around the small bundle. It's blue optics came online and it looked up at Ratchet, unmoving. Then it reached a small hand up to brush against his chin.

"Primus Firefly. She's beautiful," he murmured, settling closer to her. The femme turned and stretched and transformed back to her bipedal mode and leaned against Ratchet.

"I haven't thought of a name. I can't come up with one that is right," she said, resting her head against his shoulder.

Jazz couldn't believe his optics. The nudging of Eclipse's tail brought him out of his stupor.

"Go one. They should know their co-Creator," she said. Jazz carefully picked the two forms up. Two pairs of gold optics watched him. Content with their holder, they snuggled against his chassis. Eclipse also transformed and leaned her forehead against his, her body curving next to him.

"I was thinking Silver Bell and Gold Wind," she told him.

"Those are beautiful names," Jazz agreed.

"What about Whisper?" Ratchet suggested. Firefly rubbed her head against him.

"It's perfect," she said. The white and gold femme had curled against her co-Creator's chassis. Her blue optics were dim, sound in recharge.

"Dis makes me so happy 'Clipse," Jazz told her. The femme gazed down at the sparklings in her mate's arms. The little femme's gold optics had dimmed and her silver frame blended into Jazz's, the light blue barely seen. The little mech was the same way but his dark blue stood out a little more.

The mechs settled next to their mates, letting them rest. The two serpents swam back and forth, guardian the four as Guardians did. After a few hours, the two femmes had enough strength to stand. They stood next to their mates, cradling their sparklings. Flash Trick came up and said his farewell and had another Guardian come. The Guardian glowed and in an instant, they four were back in front of the Ark. They headed in to the halls, most of the residents sound in recharge. They went their separate ways and to their quarters.

As Jazz and Eclipse entered the room, the sparkling femme began to cry. Jazz took the young mech and held him as Eclipse comforted the young one.

"Hush Silver. It's alright," she cooed softly. She quieted down after a few moments and Eclipse went over to the berth where her bond-mate was already sitting. She sat next to him and pressed against him.

"They're beautiful love. A pair of twins," he told her as they cradled them next to each other. They moved up to the corner of the berth and curled into each other and leaned against the wall and held the twins, watching them recharge. Eclipse drifted off not long after, Jazz joining her.

The two medics of the Ark were already sound in recharge, laying on their side, facing each other, Whisper recharging between them. The two had watched their sparkling before they let their systems go offline.

When Prowl entered the medbay the next day with First Aid, he noticed that some things had been moved. He turned to First Aid.

"Can you see if Ratchet is in his quarters?" he asked the junior medic. He nodded and went over to the door and knocked. He heard a slight shuffling. There was no other sound and First Aid went to turn away when the door slid open. Ratchet stood there, looking balefully at the two mechs. He stepped out, letting the door slide close.

"Is there something I can help you with Prowl?" the medic asked him. Prowl simply stood there, watching him with his usual indifferent expression.

"You had us worried Ratchet. Though I see you have returned and I would assume Jazz has returned as well," he said, standing there, watching the CMO. The CMO put his hand on his forehead, a habit that he had picked up from Sparkplug.

"Don't worry about it Prowl. We'll tell you what is going on later today, after Jazz and the femmes wake up." Prowl's eye ridge lifted.

"The femmes are back. Well, that is good to hear. I'll expect you and them to explain what is going on at 1300 today." With that, Prowl turned and walked out. First Aid looked from the door to his mentor.

"Don't worry about it Aid. Just help me mix some special Energon." The two began to work in silence.

At 1 that afternoon, Ratchet and Jazz walked into the meeting room. Optimus, Prowl and Wheeljack were sitting in the room.

"Jazz. Ratchet. I would assume that you have a reasonable explanation for this?" Optimus asked, not sounding concerned in the least bit. Jazz gave him one of his typical smiles.

"Yeah Prime. There was a reason the femmes left. In fact, I believe dat dey are here now," he said, looking to the door as it slid open. They watched Eclipse step in, Firefly right behind her, Eclipse's wings pulled in front of her. After the door closed, she pulled them against her back. The Autobots drew in air sharply through their air intakes. Firefly chuckled as she moved to stand next to Ratchet, showing who she was holding.

"This is why we left. Once we realized we had sparklings, we were forced to hide. Even though Centercord is gone, sparklings are rare and even more in danger when a Creator is a Guardian," Firefly told them, her optics having a sad look to them.

"It's understandable," Prowl said, watching as the gold and white sparkling activated her optics. She looked around and spied the other Autobots. She watched them, observing them with curious look.

"Autobots, this is Whisper." Prime stood up and walked over to the femme medic. Whisper looked at him, her optics bright. Prime chuckled.

"A fearless one it seems Ratchet. She'll be a handful." Ratchet gave him a deadpanned looked as he walked up to him.

"I'm outnumbered with two femmes. Yes, Prime. I will have a handful," he said in Prime's audio. Prime laughed at that. There were several clicks coming from Eclipse's arms. Jazz walked over to take a squirming sparkling from her. The silver and dark blue mech let off several loud clicks and whirls at his Creator. Jazz laughed as he held him close.

"This is Gold Wind. And that little femme is Silver Bell." Optimus, Prowl and Wheeljack watched the sparklings.

"It looks like this family has gotten bigger," Optimus said. Prowl nodded his head.

"I would undoubtedly say that things are about to get crazier than they already are."

* * *

EH: Sorry for taking some time. Things have been really hectic here. Once again, suggestions and thoughts are loved. Till next time, see ya! 


	4. Chapter 4

The sounds of high pitched crying reached Elita-One and Chromia's audios. They exchanged a glance then followed the sound. They were surprised to find the sound coming from Jazz and Eclipse's room. Elita tentatively knocked. A muffled come in prompted them to let the door slid open. They were startled to see Eclipse sitting on the floor, a sparkling in her lap and another in her arms, crying.

"Eclipse? Are those yours?" Chromia asked. Eclipse gave her a look.

"Do you think so Chromia? Yes, they are. Sorry if their crying disturbed you," she said, trying to comfort the squirming sparkling. As she cooed at the sparkling, the other sparkling began to wake and washer fluid gathered in their optics. Eclipse sighed. Elita stepped forward.

"Here Eclipse. Let me take one," she said. Eclipse looked up at her then smiled. She carefully picked up the sparkling and let Elita take them.

"That's Silver Bell. She's just hearing her brother cry now," Eclipse said, standing up to rock the sparkling. He settled down as Eclipse cooed at him. Chromia watched her.

"What is the little mech's name?" she asked.

"Gold Wing. He's been a handful lately, especially with Jazz on duty. Optimus gave me and Firefly some time off for the sparklings."

"Firefly has a sparkling as well?" Chromia exclaimed. Eclipse laughed.

"Yes Chromia, Firefly has a little femme. Her name is Whisper." Eclipse continued to walk back and forth across the room until Chromia shook her head and stood up, holding her arms out.

"Give him here and sit down. I don't want to deal with Jazz or Ratchet if you fall over from lack of Energon," she said as she carefully took Gold Wing from a stunned Eclipse.

"Sit, sit. Just relax," she said as Elita stifled a laugh. Eclipse sat on the berth and stared at her.

"You're evil. I'm sure of it now," she said calmly. Elita would have burst out laughing if she hadn't been holding Silver.

"Hon, if you're now just figuring that out, we have a problem," she said.

"Oh I knew it. But Chromia here keeps proving me right," she replied, casting a glance at Chromia. She pretended to look insulted.

"Well, what friends I have," she said. The other two femmes laughed when there was a knock on the door. It slid open to reveal Firefly holding her sparkling. She saw the other two femmes and smiled.

"Hello Elita, Chromia," she said. They looked at her.

"So that's your little femme," Elita said. Firefly nodded as she came into the room and handed Eclipse a vial, which she subspaced.

"She has Ratchet temper it seems," she said, sitting down.

"Another tantrum?" Eclipse asked. Firefly nodded.

"Well, knowing Ratchet, that isn't surprising," Chromia said.

"Well any sparkling of yours will be very trigger happy with you and Ironhide's personality," Elita said teasingly.

"Hey! Insulting me is one thing but leave my mate out of it," she snapped with no bite. The femmes laughed and continued to talk, exchanging stories and thoughts. They were startled out of their talk when the Ark's alarms blared throughout the ship. Eclipse stood, taking her sparklings, as did Firefly. They hurried out of the room when the two Guardians paused. They lifted their heads, as if sensing something.

"Eclipse, Firefly, what's wrong?" Elita asked. The two glanced at each other before Eclipse looked at Elita and Chromia.

"We have the feeling that nothing good is going to come out of this. I hope we're wrong," she said. The two hurried off towards the medbay, leaving the other two femmes worried.

"We better warn Optimus and the others," Elita said, turning to go to the command center. Chromia followed and they entered the room, going to their mates while Elita told Optimus what Eclipse had said. He nodded and then commanded them to move out as Ratchet returned to the medbay to prepare. As he entered, he noticed both mothers there, Firefly bustling about as Eclipse watched over the three sparklings. But there was an unfamiliar look in Eclipse's optics as she scanned around her. With her body posture and movement, Ratchet knew that Eclipse was unsettled and that was a very bad thing.

An hour into the fight, things were crazy. Shots flew through the air, hitting anything in their path. Some mechs were forced to dodge for minutes at a time before they could get a shot in. On one side of the battlefield, within the tress and shrubs, several mechs were hiding and shooting, jumping up to fire before disappearing back into the growth. Some of the Autobots here included Jazz, Waterfall and Hound, feeling at home as they continued to sneak around the enemy.

Waterfall moved along, staying close to the ground and out of sight, listening for any sign of Decepticons. The usual calm, infallible femme was now completely focused, her senses fine-tuned to the surroundings. She paused when she heard a shout of alarm, following it. She transformed and raced under the growth, her alt mode allowing her to stay close to the ground. She stopped when another cry came just off of one side. She crept closer and froze when she saw the mechs.

Hound knew he was in trouble as he felt a shot hit him in the side. He landed heavily and found that he could not move. He looked up as Thundercracker and Skywarp aimed their weapons at him. He knew that there was no way he could survive this. A frightful howl rose from the trees and the two Seekers scattered when a white blur flew at them. There was a moment of silence before shots were fired. Hound struggled to get up as the white blur danced around the two.

"Hound! Get out of here. Go!" the Autobot shouted. They paused long enough at his side for him to see that it was Waterfall before she nudged him to get him moving. He moved away from the fight as Waterfall distracted the two Seekers. He got a nasty surprise when an injured Skywarp appeared in front of him. The Seeker shot at him and Hound tried to dodge as he warped away. Hound lost his footing as went tumbling towards the edge of a cliff. He saw the blur of white and felt someone grab his wrist before he slid over the edge then came to a stop with a jolt. He looked up to see Waterfall holding on to him.

"Hang on Hound. Don't let go," she cried. The femme was clearly straining to hold onto his weight.

"Waterfall no! You'll slid over the edge," he exclaimed. The femme's face twisted into pain as she pulled backwards, trying to pull him up. He managed to get a grip on a root but he knew that she couldn't pull him up.

"Waterfall," he said. The femme shook her head.

"Don't you dare let go Hound," she said, "Someone's coming." As soon as she said that, Ironhide burst out of the trees and slid next to Waterfall. He reached down and helped Waterfall pull the injured tracker to safety.

"Hound, are you all right?" she asked, looking at him worriedly. He gave her a small smile.

"Now I am. Thanks." More Seekers flying above them interrupted them.

"We need ta move," Ironhide said gruffly. The three scrambled up and headed for the rest of the group. Shots caused Ironhide and Hound to separate, giving the tracker no way to get away.

"Hound! No!" Waterfall cried as she twisted around and headed for the Seekers. As they fired shots at Hound, Waterfall intercepted them and hit the ground hard before standing up and charging. Hound moved away and looked back to see Waterfall take a shot in the side.

"Waterfall!" he cried. The femme hit the ground and looked up at his voice before trying to stand. But her strength failed and Hound could only watch in horror as the Decepticons began to drag the weakly struggling femme away.

[Hound![ she cried over the comm. Hound fought to stand but failed as Ironhide came up.

"Ironhide, they have Waterfall," he said. Ironhide looked solemn.

"I'm afraid there is nothing we can do. Neither of us is fit to try and save her. We need to tell Prime," he said. Hound looked devastated. Hound glanced back at where he had last seen Waterfall.

"_Primus no. Waterfall," _he thought to himself as Ironhide activated his comm.

Back in the medbay, both Firefly and Eclipse froze, alarming First Aid. Firefly's face fell in dismay and Eclipse went to charge the door before turning back to the sparklings, clearly agitated.

"Primus no. Not Waterfall. Why? I can't help her. _Primus_!" she muttered. The femme seemed torn between rushing out of the Ark and guarding the sparklings. She watched as Ironhide came in supporting Hound. The tracker was seemingly in shock and clutching something in his hand. He glanced up at Eclipse and regarded her with a lost look before looking away. Firefly looked at Eclipse then Hound then back and seemed to fret. When Ratchet came in and saw Eclipse's frantic state, he immediately told her to calm down for the sparklings' sake. She turned to stare him in the optics.

"They captured a fellow Guardian to try to coax us out. I want to kill them," she hissed. Ratchet frowned then grabbed a needle. Having First Aid unintently distract her, he gave her the sedative, leaving her to wheel on him and screech, very upset. It kicked in within a few moments and Eclipse teetered unsteadily, allowing Ratchet and First Aid to move her to a berth before she went offline. Ratchet looked to the doors as Optimus came in and they shared a worried glance. With one missing and many injured, things were not good.

In the Decepticons' hold, a battered figure sagged against the chains holding their arms. Energon leaked from the shots that had taken her down and from those the Decepticons had given her. One optic was cracked though still functional and several pieces of amour were missing. Washer fluid gathered in her optics from the pain. Waterfall was at the mercy of the Decepticons, who wanted codes to the Ark.

"_I won't give the codes up. I can't. I have to do that at least," _she thought. She risked a glance up as the door to her cell opened. Her spark froze as Megatron and Soundwave walked in.

"_Please Primus. Help me,"_ she prayed.

"Primus won't help you now Autoscum," Megatron sneered, reaching forward. Waterfall winced as he gripped a loose piece of amour and cried out as he twisted it.

"_Primus I'm going to die. But I'm never giving them the codes,"_ was her last thought as she fell offline.

EH: Here is the next chapter. I just realized that I haven't worked on the HoundXWaterfall pairing. Bad me. But here you go. Tell me what you think. See ya!


	5. Chapter 5

Waterfall felt nothing but pain. She had long since deactivated the alarms that flashed up before her. She knew she was dying at this rate. Major Energon loss, missing amour leading to exposed circuitry and the damage optic being hit again, causing it to break further and leaving her unable to activate it. The chains around her wrists cut painfully into the circuitry, adding to her misery. The only good in her situation was the fact that the Decepticons had yet to get anything except screams from her. She would never give the Autobots up, never let the 'Cons know of the sparklings. She faintly heard the door to her cell open then a hand griping her throat, making activate her working optic. She chocked, the hand cutting off her air intake as they lifted her to their face. Megatron's blood red optics bored into her.

"I tire of your stupid bravery. Hand over the codes now Autobot," he snarled. Waterfall shifted the Energon that had gathered in her mouth and spit into his face. He yelled and slammed her into the wall, receiving a small yelp.

"You wretched femme! How you will pay for that," he said as he grinned. Waterfall's spark chilled. Megatron reached down and wiggled his fingers under her chassis amour. Waterfall gave a cry of alarm and tried to struggle but couldn't as the dictator had pinned her down with his body weight. He shifted his fingers until he wrapped them around some wires and pulled. Waterfall screamed in pain, struggling to escape. Megatron lifted his hand from her throat and used it to pull at the amour covering her spark. Waterfall's screams grew louder and her thrashing grew. With in a few minutes, Megatron had removed the amour, exposing the femme's spark.

"No," she whimpered.

"Give me what I want and I won't," he whispered in her audio. Waterfall deactivated her optic as if thinking then reactivated.

"Go to the pit you fragging garbage disposal," she said hoarsely. She knew he would never hold his word. He roared in fury and brought his hand down on her spark casing and pushed down. Waterfall could only utter a strangled cry from the pain and almost immediately went offline. Megatron drew back and snarled at the femme.

"Megatron sir," Soundwave said from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder.

"What?"

"The Autobots have come to…reclaim the femme," he said. Megatron grinned.

"Let's see them try." With that he stood and walked out of the cell, leaving the offline femme hanging from her bonds, chassis still exposed.

The Autobots stormed the Decepticon base. A group including Ironhide, Jazz, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker crept inside the base, heading for the cells, trying to find the missing femme. They meet Soundwave as they neared the cells.

"Go find 'er! I'll hold 'im off," Jazz yelled, facing Soundwave. The other three went around the two and continued down the corridors, blasting any 'Cons out of their way. They soon found the brig and stepped in. They walked down the cells, glancing in each one to find Waterfall.

"I don't believe it. She's not here," Ironhide said, looking furious.

"What do you mean she's not here?" a femme voice asked. The three turned to see Chromia in the doorway, her cannon still smoking.

"What are you doing here?" Ironhide asked his mate gruffly. She frowned.

"Looking for my friend. Is she really not here? That makes no sense." Sideswipe poked at the controls.

"Quit touching that," his twin snapped.

"Hey, it might tell us where Waterfall is," Sideswipe said, defending himself. Sunstreaker snorted and kept an optic out for trouble. Chromia walked down along the cells, refusing to believe that the femme wasn't there. She paused when she heard a thump from a wall. She glanced at the wall then towards the control panel. Sideswipe held up his hands.

"What? I just pressed a button," he exclaimed. Chromia returned her attention to the wall and placed a hand on it and knocked. There was a solid sound and she moved over, knocking again. She received the same sound and moved over once again. This time she was rewarded with a hollow sound.

"Ironhide, there's a door here. It's empty behind here," she said, backing out of her mate's way. Ironhide charged up his cannon and fired it. The wall shattered, revealing an empty hole. Chromia glanced in and gasped.

"I found her!" she exclaimed, rushing in. She kneeled next to the unmoving figure of Waterfall, who was laying oddly on the ground. She glanced up to see a pair of chains coated with fresh Energon, hanging on the wall.

"_Sideswipe must have hit the release button for the chain. I must have heard her falling to the floor,"_ she thought to herself. She carefully pulled the femme over, into her lap. Her spark froze with horror.

"Ironhide, we need to get her to Ratchet now!" she said fearfully. Ironhide came in and looked at the femme, gasping at the sight of the exposed spark. He carefully slipped his arms under her and lifted her from Chromia's lap before charging out.

"Come on. We need to get out of here quickly," he yelled. The twins took one look at the femme's body before getting a nasty look on their face. They led the way as they ran out of the Deception base, returning to the rest of the army.

"Prime, Ratchet! We have her," he bellowed. Prime called a retreat and transformed so Ironhide could lay her in his trailer. Ratchet quickly went in as the doors closed and Prime rumbled away, back to base. Chromia had followed Ratchet in, not wanting to leave the femme.

"Retched, slaggin pit spawns. I hope they fall into the Pit," Ratchet snarled, scanning the femme. His worry was evident as he activated his comm.

[First Aid. Get Wheeljack and Firefly and ready the medbay. We've got Waterfall and she's failing[ he said. The junior medic was quick to respond and cut the connection. Ratchet began to repair the lines that were leaking Energon, trying to keep her from stasis lock, being careful around her exposed spark. Chromia followed his directions, wanting to help. They arrived back at the Ark in record time, Prime speeding into the medbay where Firefly, Wheeljack and First Aid were waiting. Prime opened his doors and Chromia moved to be replaced by Wheeljack.

They had moved Hound and Bluestreak to the other side of the medbay since they still couldn't leave. They looked over to the group and Hound watched in despair as Wheeljack carefully carried the battered femme out, laying her on a berth. Ratchet pulled a curtain and the two mechs exchanged glances. Bluestreak opened his mouth to say something when a shrill screaming echoed through the room. They jumped and looked in alarm at the curtained off area. First Aid appeared, accidentally pulling the curtain as he grabbed a needle from a nearby table. Hound and Bluestreak saw Waterfall fighting the medics, continuing to scream. They looked away, Bluestreak placing his hands over his audios in a human-like fashion, mumbling something. It was apparent he couldn't handle the sound.

Hound felt like he was going to purge. He had seen where Waterfall's chassis amour had been ripped off and her spark exposed. Primus what had they done to her? He deactivated his audio receptors and looked away. He couldn't stand it. He saw Chromia leave the room. After some time, he slipped into a troubled recharge, following the young gunner's example. When he onlined, he noticed several hours had pasted. He looked up to see a tired looking Ratchet checking his wounds.

"So you're online now," he stated. Hound struggled to sit up but Ratchet placed a firm hand on his chassis so he stopped.

"Waterfall?" he asked. Ratchet sighed.

"Still alive, thank Primus. We nearly lost her several times. She's offline now. I don't want her to online in case she reacts again. She doesn't know where she is," he told Hound. The tracker nodded and glanced at the curtained off area as Ratchet turned to check the still recharging gunner.

"_Oh Waterfall,"_ he thought.

Two days later, when Ratchet finally let the two mechs leave, Waterfall was still offline. The three medics were almost always working on her battered frame, rebuilding it bit by bit. Most of the Autobots stayed away from the 'bay, not wanting to disturb them. Most of the Autobots were sickened when they heard what happened to the femme. Eclipse had begun to ignore the others, solely focused on her twins. Often, Whisper would be in her care as well as her Creators worked. It was the sparklings that kept sprits up and tempers down.

Optimus had invoked a strict rule of no cussing around the sparklings, which the Creators would be quick to correct if anyone forgot the rule when they were around. Ironhide had come to be one of the main sitters as well as Hound and Trailbreaker. Bumblebee often found himself playing with the sparklings under the watchful optics of Eclipse or Jazz. But after a few days, Eclipse began to relax, especially after her duties were started again.

"She's not handlin' bein' grounded well," Jazz had said.

Another four days pasted for everyone. One of the femmes was often visiting the offlined Waterfall, Hound popping in at least once a day. The Decepticons didn't come out from their base, probably not wanting to face the Autobots' wrath. As it hit a week after the rescue, Hound was back in the repair 'bay under Ratchet's orders, to make sure that his self-repair systems had fully done its job. Hound was sitting on a berth when they heard a crying from Ratchet's quarters. The CMO sighed and went in the room to comfort the crying sparkling since Firefly was on duty. Hound stayed put until he heard whimpering. He looked over to where Waterfall was laying then towards Ratchet's quarters. He quietly slid off the berth and went over to the curtained off area. Stepping inside, he saw Waterfall twitching and whimpering, apparently in a 'nightmare' as the humans called it. Hound went over and placed a hand on her arm. Waterfall activated her optics, screaming but unseeing. Hound grabbed her other arm in panic, trying to calm her down.

"Waterfall! Take it easy! It's me, Hound," he said. The femme paused, turning her glowing optics at him, as if trying to see.

"It's all right Waterfall. You're at the Ark, in the medbay. Take it easy."

"Hou…Hound?" she whimpered. Ratchet came running out of his room.

"What in Primus?" he snarled. He slid to a stop when Waterfall snapped her head towards him.

"Ratchet?" she rasped. The CMO walked over carefully and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's me. You're in the medbay back at the Ark," he said. He gasped as something in his arm tried to wiggle out of his grasp. Whisper had seen Waterfall and was giving off clicks and whirls at her. Waterfall's one good optic clicked as it shut then opened. She reached up with a hand and brushed the sparkling's helm. She clicked and gurgled in glee, causing Waterfall to smile slightly.

"How long have I been here?" she asked.

"About a week. You've been offline during that time so we could repair you. You're self repair systems should hopefully take care off the rest," Ratchet said. He glanced down at Whisper who was beginning to get fussy. He turned and walked back towards his quarters. Hound watched him leave and then looked down at Waterfall. She regarded him silently.

"Feeling all right?" he asked. She nodded.

"What about you?"

"I was in here for a couple days, but luckily it wasn't too serious," he replied. Waterfall was about to say something but her optics flickered, her body needing recharge.

"You should rest. Otherwise Ratchet will have our heads," Hound said. The femme nodded before relaxing and drifting off into recharge. Hound watched her for a few minutes, absently stroking her hand, which he was still holding. Then he stood up and walked out of the medbay, letting her rest. He walked down the corridors to the mechs' quarters. He walked past a few before stopping in front of Jazz's. He knocked tentatively, Jazz calling to him to come in. The door slid open and Hound stepped in.

" 'Ey Hound. What can I do for ya?" the saboteur asked.

"I need to ask you something Jazz."


	6. Chapter 6

"Well Jazz?" Hound asked. The silver bot looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I think ya should keep doin' whatcha doin' now. Be dere when she needs ya and give her some space when she doesn't. I dink dat she may have liked ya before dis mess happened and with time, she'll she what is happin'." Jazz paused in his words for a moment to study Hound. "Ya two are a good match. Both of ya are nature lovers and ya both seem ta complete each other. With time, things will heal. But I warn ya now. She'll neva forget and it will haunt 'er. I found out with 'Clipse dat these things are hard ta let go. Just remember dat." Hound nodded.

"I will Jazz. Thank you." The saboteur chuckled.

"What can I say? I'm da matchmaker 'ere." They shared a laugh and Hound stood up and walked out as Eclipse came down the hall, carrying the twins. They nodded in greeting and Hound returned to his quarters. He sat down at his desk and noticed a holocube that had been become hidden. The green mech picked it up and activated it. There were a few pictures on it, all from Earth. Most of the scenes were pictures of nature that he had gathered. There were a few pictures of some of the Autobots. As he went through them, he came to the last picture and paused. It was a photo that had been taken without the pictured realizing it. Waterfall had been sitting next to Hound in a poker match with Wheeljack, Bumblebee and Smokescreen. The two had folded their hand and were laughing at something Wheeljack was telling them. Hound had a smile while Waterfall's face was lit up in enjoyment.

Hound let off a small smile at the holopicture before deactivating it and setting it down. He went to his berth and lay down, shutting down his systems for recharge. The last thoughts that crossed his CPU before shutting down were of the injured femme in Ratchet's medbay.

* * *

About a week later, Ratchet called Hound into the medbay. Waterfall was sitting on the edge of her berth, letting First Aid run scans when he came in. She glanced up and saw him, giving him a small smile. He returned it then turned to Ratchet.

"What can I do for you Ratchet?" he asked.

"Waterfall needs more rest but she can go back to her own berth. I called you so that someone can make sure she gets back there all right," Ratchet told him. Hound nodded and watched as First Aid let Waterfall stand up. She wobbled a moment then carefully walked towards Hound. He reached out an arm for her to grab onto and she took it, her weight leaning onto him slightly. They slowly turned and left the medbay, heading for their own quarters.

"I never did get a chance to thank you for saving my life," Hound said after a few minutes. Waterfall looked over at him.

"It was something I didn't think about. You're my friend Hound. I wouldn't stand by and let you get hurt," she replied. He glanced over at her but she was already looking ahead. It took them some time to get to the room and by that time, Waterfall was already tired. Leaving his arm, she curled up on the berth and was in recharge within seconds. Hound left the room so that she could rest in peace.

* * *

The next day, many of the Autobots gathered in the rec room, simply relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Quiet conversations floated on the air, mixing and mingling. None other than Cliffjumper interrupted it all.

"What is Prime thinking, letting that femme come back here? For all we know, she spilled everything that she knows," he shouted. Many of the Autobots shot the mini-bot glares while his brothers tried to get him to shut up.

"Don't tell me to shut up. But really, I don't think she had the injuries that Prowl said she did. If she did, she'd be deactivated," he continued to shout.

"Why don't you go do what your name says and jump off a cliff? One that is preferably very slaggin high," one of the mechs shouted at him. Many of the 'bots grumbled in discontent.

"She's a traitor! If she is still online then she gave up important information! She's a traitor and she shouldn't be trusted! Her act has even Prowl and Red Alert ignoring the facts!" He paused when Trailbreaker stood up and glared at him, but the mini-bot was not daunted. They all faintly heard something fall to the floor and they looked in varying degrees of worry and shock when they saw Waterfall herself standing in the doorway.

The femme looked stricken and her hands jerked from no longer holding onto the Energon cube she was carrying.

"So you decided to show traitor!" Cliffjumper spat. Waterfall flinched then got a watery look in her optics. She turned and fled from the room.

"Frag it Cliffjumper," Sunstreaker growled. Cliffjumper wheeled to face the yellow twin. Sunstreaker had stood and was looking murderously at the min-bot. His twin stood as well, taking on the same feeling as Sunstreaker.

"What's wrong with you two?" he sneered.

"You are you slaggin pit spawn," Sunstreaker snarled. The mini-bot suddenly looked very worried.

At the back of the room, Jazz and Hound were sitting at a table with some other mechs. Jazz was frowning and Hound looked hurt.

"Hound, ya better find 'Fall before she hurts 'erself. I'll get 'Clipse or 'Fly," he said. Hound nodded and followed him out the door and went the opposite direction to find the femme. He stepped outside the Ark and began to look for her. After a short time, he noticed with dread small splashes of Energon. As he followed the trail, his comm. activated.

[Hound, it's Firefly. Listen, I can't get away from the 'bay and Eclipse is too wound up over this. I left a cube of Energon that should help her recharge in your quarters but there is nothing else I can do. You have to find her and get her back to the Ark.[ Firefly said.

[All right. I'll do that[ he replied.

[Be carefully and hurry. I'm sure that you know there is a storm coming[ Hound acknowledged the words and cut off the line. He continued to follow the Energon trail, the drops getting bigger. He came to a small cave and glanced in. He could see a form huddled in the very back.

"Waterfall," he called softly.

"Go away!" she sobbed. Hound carefully made his way into the cave towards her. He was able to get near her and get a look at her. A patch on one leg had opened up but her repair systems were already working on the flow.

"Waterfall, come on. You know that no one believes Cliffjumper," he said.

"Just leave," she snapped, swinging an arm at him. He ducked and then took a step closer.

"Waterfall, they know you didn't betray them. They believe you. Trust me, they care. Please, just look at me Waterfall," he asked. The femme wiped away washer fluid and glanced at him. Hound held out his hands, trying to get her to move towards him.

"Why?"

"Because I can't stand to see you like this. The Autobots care, they don't want to see a friend hurting. I don't want to see you hurting." Waterfall lifted her head further to look at him. She saw the pleading look in his optics, realized he was telling the truth and uncurled slightly.

"Hound?" She turned and pushed herself towards him. He wrapped his arms around her as she cried, her frame pressing against him. He whispered soft reassurances and waited as she calmed down and stilled. An echo of thunder reminded him of the storm.

"Come on Waterfall. We need to get back before the storm breaks," he said softly. Waterfall held onto his as they stood, wincing at the pain in her leg. Together they walked back to the Ark and soon entered her silent halls. Hound led her to their quarters and spotted the Energon as they walked in. Hound convinced the weakened femme to drink some before helping her lay down on her berth then moving to his own.

In the middle of the night, he woke to her crying and whimpering. He hurried over and managed to get her online. Her air intakes shuttered to cool her body down, as she looked around frantically.

"Easy Waterfall, it's all right. Here, drink some more Energon." The femme managed to finish the cube and tried to relax. She gripped Hound's arm as he tried to move away.

"Please Hound, don't leave me," she begged. Hound's spark ached at the sight. He settled back down on the berth and cradled her in his arms. The femme curled up into a small ball against him. It took a few minutes, but soon she was again in recharge, the medicine taking control. Hound drifted off as well, not wanting to let her go.

* * *

EH: Wow. Dark and sad. I think I need to write some happy one-shots that no one shall ever see. Okay, I will try not to make the next one sad or rush the "relationship". I'll update as soon as I can. See ya! 


	7. Chapter 7

Ratchet knocked on Hound and Waterfall's door but got no response. Entering the override code, the door slid open and he stepped in. He had to smile at the sight.

Hound was leaning against the wall, his legs laying on the edge of the berth next to the wall. He had a slight smile on his face, his arms wrapped around the femme. Waterfall was curled up against him, her head on his chassis and her hand gripping an arm. Ratchet walked over and gently shook Hound. The tracker's optics came online and he looked blearily up at Ratchet before realizing who it was.

"Oh, hey Ratchet," he said. He shifted slightly and leaned next to Waterfall's head.

"Waterfall. Hey, time to online. Ratchet's here." The femme pressed her head against his chassis in discontent before letting her optics come online. She slowly lifted her head to look at Ratchet. He could tell she was still disoriented from the sedative that had been in the Energon and hurt from Cliffjumper's words.

"Hey Waterfall. You feeling all right?" he asked. She nodded slowly and refused to move from her spot. Ratchet mentally frowned.

"Then let me take a look at that leg," he said. Waterfall didn't make a move to shift her leg towards him.

"Waterfall," he spoke softly, carefully reaching out to try and touch her leg. Hound noticed the tone that Ratchet was taking and watched warily. As Ratchet brushed against her leg, Waterfall struck out with her leg, catching Ratchet in the chassis. He fell backwards, falling on his aft. Waterfall snarled and twisted off the berth, hissing in pain from her leg. She limped to the other side of the room and pressed herself against the wall, keeping her weight off her leg. Ratchet sat up and watched the femme. He heard Hound behind him, and then felt him place a hand on his shoulder. Ratchet stood slowly, not wanting to startle Waterfall. The door slid open to reveal Eclipse and Firefly.

[We'll handle this Ratchet[ Firefly told him over the comm. The two mechs walked out of the room, Hound glancing back at Waterfall. Eclipse placed a hand on his shoulders.

"Don't worry Hound. We'll get her back," she said quietly. He nodded then followed Ratchet down the hall. The two femmes glanced at each other before stepping into the room. Waterfall gave them a desperate look.

"What is wrong with me?" she whispered. Eclipse went over and kneeled down next to her, wrapping her arm around her. She led her to her berth and Firefly looked over the injury.

"Nothing's wrong with ya love. It's just hard. What you went through, no Autobot should go through," Eclipse told her.

"But I know Cliffjumper is a liar yet I believe everything. Ratchet tries to help me and I kick him. Everything is so messed up, I don't know why and I can't seem to fix it, no matter what I try," Waterfall sobbed. Firefly stood and sat next to her, placing her hands on Waterfall's shoulders, making the distressed femme face her.

"Waterfall, no one is asking you to forget. They know you can't. But they want you to move on because they want the old Waterfall back."

"It's true," Eclipse added at Waterfall's look, "After they brought you back to the Ark, the Autobots were ready to take up arms with the Decepticons they were so mad. And after the incident with Cliffjumper, the twins pummeled him into scrap metal. He's still afraid to be near them or any of the Autobot's that really took offense to what he said about you." Waterfall let off another hiccup-like sound.

"If it makes you feel any better, he still hasn't been fixed," Firefly said. Waterfall gave her a questioning look.

"He waited until I was out of the medbay and he thought Ratchet was out too, leaving First Aid but when he came in, Ratchet was still there. If looks could kill, Cliffjumper would have been deactivated five times over. He bolted out of there and I haven't seen him since." Waterfall gave a small laugh and they talked for a few minutes until a small smile began to reappear on her face.

"So who do you want to see first, Hound or Ratchet?" Firefly asked. Waterfall looked shocked.

"It's nothing bad. The only reason Ratchet needs to see you is so he can replace a patch on that leg," she told her.

"And the reason for seeing Hound is because he is worried for you," Eclipse added.

"I'll see Ratchet. Honestly Firefly, I don't want to wait because not only does it hurt, your bond-mate is scary when he's mad." Firefly laughed and the three stood up.

"You can also see the sparklings. All three of them are there." They walked out of the room and headed for the medbay. Before they reached there, there was a call. They turned to see Sideswipe running up and Sunstreaker following.

"Hey Waterfall, good to see you up and about," the red twin said. Eclipse nudged Waterfall in mirth and see glared at her.

"Thanks Sideswipe," she replied. She turned and froze, seeing a badly beaten up Cliffjumper. They froze and the other four saw him as well. The mini-bot gave a squeak and took off in the other direction. The femmes did an anime sweat drop while the mechs grinned.

"See, we took care of that problem for you 'Fall," Sunstreaker said, smirking.

"Thanks." They continued to the medbay and as they entered, Ratchet glanced up from his desk. Waterfall looked embarrassed and Ratchet sighed.

"Come here so I can patch that leg up," he said. Waterfall hopped on a berth and waited for Ratchet. The CMO worked quickly and within a few minutes was done.

"There you go. Just don't stress it too much," he said as she slid down.

"Thank you Ratchet," she replied. The other two femmes were sitting off to the side with their sparklings playing on the ground in front of them. Waterfall sat down near them and watched them playing while they talked. Waterfall paused when she saw Firefly's femme wobbling in front of her.

"Firefly," she said quietly. The medic looked down and froze. Whisper was standing unsteadily on two feet, her arms out. She looked up to see her Creator and began to shuffle towards her. Firefly seemed to give out a silent call and got on her knees, holding out her hands.

"Come her Whisper. That's a girl. Come to me," she called. They heard Ratchet run up.

"What's wrong Firefly?" he asked, slightly panicked. Him and First Aid stopped when they saw Whisper. The sparkling femme wobbled and fell backwards. She didn't cry but looked at her mother questionably.

"Come on Whisper. Try again," she encouraged. Whisper stood up again, still wobbling but not as bad as she headed for her mother again. The other two femmes were watching with huge smiles. Whisper reached out as she fell forward and her mother scooped her up.

"There's my sparkling," she cooed. Whisper gave off what sounded like a Cybertronian laugh then reached for her father. As Ratchet kneeled down, Firefly set Whisper on her feet and the sparkling proceed to walk towards her father, grinning. She reached Ratchet's arms in no time and was happily picked up. Ratchet was literally beaming with pride and joy. The five turned when they heard the twins and it was Eclipse's turn to look startled in happiness. The twins had picked up on Whisper and were supporting each other.

"By Primus," she whispered. The twins glanced up at Eclipse and began to head for her. They weren't as coordinated as Whisper but they pulled at each other when the other fell. Soon, they finally reached Eclipse and she picked them both up, nuzzling them. They gave clicks and whirls.

"We've got trouble now if they're walking," Waterfall said absently to First Aid. The junior medic looked at her then nodded.

"It would seem that way." Waterfall glanced over her shoulder as the door opened and frowned. Elita-One was leaning in the doorway, not looking very good.

"Elita?" she said, standing up and going over to Optimus's mate. Elita looked up at her in misery.

"I haven't been feeling good lately and I've already purged twice today." Waterfall gently grabbed her and led her over to a berth while Firefly got up to look at her, Eclipse watching in concern. Waterfall moved to the side as the medic scanned over her. Waterfall watched for a moment before slipping out of the 'bay to let the medics work. She wandered down the halls, greeting the few mechs she saw. As she stepped outside the Ark, she noticed something green sitting off on the cliff. Getting closer, she realized it was Hound. She paused as if to go back but he turned and saw her. He waved her over and Waterfall slowly made her way towards him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as she sat down next to him. The femme looked out over the land, thinking.

"I'm not really sure," she said finally. Hound looked at her with curiosity.

"It's just, I'm not sure what is going on. It feels as if everything is being thrown around and I can't hold onto anything. In truth, I guess I feel lost. Everything is trying to fall down around me and only the small moments keep that from happening." She stopped, embarrassed at her rambling. Hound didn't say anything for a moment.

"You do realize that everyone does care about you Waterfall. There are at least four here that refuse to leave anyone behind and I know of nine that wouldn't leave you."

"Nine? Is that so?" she replied, a lost look in her optics. Hound looked back out over the land as well.

"Yeah. Prime, Prowl, Ratchet and Jazz would never leave someone behind. There is also Lunar Eclipse, Firefly, Elita-One and Chromia. They're your friends and you are all sort of a small group of fighters as femmes." He paused.

"Funny, I count only eight," she said. Hound shifted slightly.

"The last 'bot…. the last 'bot is me Waterfall." The femme turned startled optics to the tracker. He didn't look at her, still watching the sun as it began to set.

"What do you mean Hound?" she asked, her voice filled with an unknown emotion.

"The truth is, when you rescued me, I felt strange. Not a bad strange, but different from anything else I knew. When the Decepticons dragged you off, I feared for you from my spark. And when you came back to the Ark, as damaged as you were, I felt a wave of sickness from what they had done to you." He turned his head to look at her, "I realized there that I wanted to be more than just your friend. I knew I had been struck with the same thing Jazz had and Ratchet had. Waterfall, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable but the fact is that I love you." Waterfall looked to the sun as it set below the horizon. Neither one spoke for a time until the stars began to appear above them. Hound nearly jumped when Waterfall slipped her hand into his.

"And my truth is that I feel the same," she finally said, looking up at him. His blue optics studied her green ones. He reached up and brushed a tear from her face as she deactivated her optics.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Sorry? There's nothing to be sorry for," he replied. She leaned her head against his hand and he moved his arm to wrap around her, scooting closer. She pressed close to him, reveling in his presence. Her head laid against his chassis, listening to his pump beat, Hound watching the land in front of them. After a time, they decided to head in. They headed into the command center and saw Eclipse standing not far behind an unsuspecting Jazz. Leaned down and whispered something to her partners and they grinned and headed straight for him. To say the least, Jazz was very surprised when he felt two pairs of hands grab at his leg. He glanced down and grinned when he saw his twins grinning up at him.

"It seems we have a pair of walkers," he joked, reaching down to pick them up before moving so Trailbreaker could start his shift. The twins gold optics flashed with delight, letting off high clicks and beeps. Eclipse laughed and greeted her mate with a quick kiss. Elita, who had grabbed her and pulled her away, distracted Waterfall.

"Elita!" she gasped, badly startled.

"Sorry 'Fall but you won't believe it!" Elita whispered loudly.

"I see you're feeling better," she commented.

"Yes! I'm ecstatic. I still can't believe it. I made Firefly check three times and there was no mistake."

"That's nice but what are you talking about?" Elita whispered it in Waterfall's audio. The green femme's jaw nearly dropped.

"Well good for you Elita. Have you told Prime?"

"Not yet. But I'm going to now. See you later!" With that, the pick femme raced over to her bond mate while Waterfall made her way back to Hound.

"What was that about?" Waterfall shook her head.

"Nothing you won't find out," she replied. They stopped when there was a crash. They turned to see Prime on the floor, out cold and a worried Elita. Waterfall quickly made her way over.

"Elita, I hope you didn't give him a pump attack over it," she said.

"I hope I didn't either," she replied, finger to her mouth in concern. Ratchet, who had been in the room, ran up.

"I hope he doesn't faint every time you tell him," he grouched.

"Tell me what?" Prime asked, coming back online and trying to sit up.

"That we're having a sparkling," she replied. Optimus promptly went offline again.

"So much for that hope."

* * *

EH: I was trying to add some humor after last time. Not sure if it worked. Oh well. Reviews and suggestions loved. 'pauses as Cliffjumper comes into the room'

Cliffjumper: You! This is your fault that I'm like this!

EH: Who? Me? What did I do?

CJ: You put those words in my mouth that got me scrapped. Now I'm going to scrap you!

EH: 'Meep!' I got to go! Bye! 'runs away'

CJ: Come back here! 'runs after her'

Shadow: oh dear. I hope she comes back.


	8. Chapter 8

Just a note. I have never seen G1 so I really don't know the 'bots personalities real well. I basically go off what I've read. SO if someone really doesn't seem normal, I aploigise. I try but no one's perfect. Beside, I need one charaecter to manpliate. grins

* * *

At the moment, everything was quiet in the Ark. But it wasn't to last. The alarms blared to life and the Autobots leapt out of recharge. Hound and Waterfall were among them. As they jumped from their berths, it was the same time that the lights in the Ark went out. There was a clank then a crash.

Waterfall groaned, her helm feeling dented and felt strange in the position that she had fallen to. Activating her optics for night vision, she was quite startled to see Hound staring back at her. They pulled away in surprise, only for Waterfall to feel the horns on her head being pulled.

"_Dear Primus. How did this happen?" _she thought to herself. She had somehow managed to get her horns hooked on Hound's helm. Looking at him, she gave him a sheepish smile. Hound chuckled.

"Hold on a second," he said, reaching up. He shifted his head and in a minute, her horns came free. She took her head back and shook it slightly. Hound stood and helped the femme up. There was a knock at the door. They opened it to see Bluestreak standing there.

"Hey Hound, Waterfall. Do you know what is going on? I was sound in recharge and then the alarms started blaring and I thought it was an attack. But as I got up the power went up and then it was all dark and the alarms stopped. And it is really weird for the alarms to go off, especially if there is an attack." The two waited patiently for him to finish, glancing up and down the hall as other mechs came from their quarters.

"I'm not sure Bluestreak but we should go find out," Hound said, beginning to head for the command center with other mechs. Waterfall and Bluestreak walked along with him and soon, the entire Ark was in the command center. They spied a strange looking mech that was standing next to Prime. Waterfall met his optics and looked away, pressing close to Hound.

"I don't like that mech," she said lowly. Hound didn't get a chance to reply as Optimus got the Autobots attention.

"Autobots, this is Blast Mine. He is from the council on Cybertron," Prime rumbled. There were intakes of air and mutterings and Prime waited until they settled down.

"He has come here by a ship that somehow made it here to Earth. He will be staying here for some time, giving us news from Cybertron and to return to tell them how we are. I want you to make him feel welcome." The Autobots returned to their talking among themselves as Prime stepped away to talk with Prowl. Waterfall looked over as Eclipse came over to them with Jazz and the twins. Firefly and Ratchet came over as well.

"I don't like this. I have a bad feeling," Eclipse said, glancing up at Blast Mine. Firefly agreed with a worried chirp, pressing against Ratchet. The CMO wrapped his arm around her.

"There is nothing we can do now, but I suggest staying away from him. Something tells me that this isn't a good thing. I can sense something off," Eclipse said, holding Gold Wind as Jazz cradled Sliver Bell. Waterfall and the mechs agreed, the mechs taking heed of their mates' advice. Blast Mine came down to meet with some of the mechs and the group split up, returning to their quarters.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, tensions were high within the group. The femmes stayed as far away as they could get from the mech, Eclipse trying to keep her twins away from him and Firefly having Whisper staying in their quarters, letting First Aid watch her. The only thing that kept the femme medic in check was working with Ratchet on the protoform for Elita's sparkling. They made sure to keep it quiet, warning Elita not to let anyone know. They used the excuse of the Decepticons using it as an advantage but they knew that she was a little more aware of their real reason. 

Then it was time. Prime had helped Elita to the medbay as her spark stats began to rise and lower.

"It's time. That sparkling is ready to transfer," Ratchet said. Elita was weak by the time they got her up on a berth and the protoform laid on a table next to her. Optimus sat on the other side, holding her hand and whispering to her. Ratchet carefully moved aside her chassis to expose her spark and the sparkling's. Carefully, he reached in and encouraged the spark to separate. Once it had, he quickly lifted it out and turned to place it in the protoform, sliding the chassis plate shut. The form shuttered then gold optics activated, a high sound coming from their voice module. Firefly picked up the protoform and handed it to Elita. She cradled the sparkling next to Optimus.

"A little mech Elita, Optimus," Ratchet said. Optimus smiled and ran a finger over the sparkling's helm.

"He's beautiful Elita," he said softly. The moment was ruined however as Red Alert came rushing in.

"Optimus, Ratchet, I…" he was interrupted as Blast Mine and several strange mechs barged in.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ratchet snarled.

"You, Ratchet, are under arrest for the destruction of the capital through our networks," Blast Mine spat. Ratchet looked stunned as the mechs stormed up to him. Firefly reeled back with a cry and turned to First Aid, whispering something to him as she ran around Optimus and Elita.

"What are you talking about? He's done nothing wrong!" She cried.

"Silence. Restrain that mech and get that femme out of the way," he snapped at the soldiers. Firefly gave a cry of distress as they forcefully pushed her away from Ratchet, pinning the mech.

"No! Ratchet!" she screamed, struggling to get to her mate. He called back to her as he was dragged away, confusion and fear running across their bond. Other soldiers tore through the medbay, as if looking for something; even tearing through the mates' shared room. Firefly resorted to screaming in Cybertron. Optimus had pulled Elita and the sparkling behind him, daring the soldiers to come near him.

"No others here sir!" a soldier called.

"Fine. Find the other two mechs!" he shouted, turning and following a struggling Ratchet. Two soldiers still restrained Firefly, who was clearly in shock. Optimus came forward to scare them off and within a few minutes, they left. Firefly stood up, looking around. First Aid came out from his hiding place, a distressed Whisper crying. The sparkling's presence caused the femme medic to focus on something and took her from First Aid.

In the command center, soldiers burst in and proceeded to arrest Jazz, charging him with the same thing. Prowl seemed to be on the verge of a CPU crash while Eclipse was in full panic. Three soldiers had to work together to pull her away as she tried to get to her mate. They dragged Jazz out, the silver bot looking in confusion at his panicked mate.

"Prowl!" she screeched, "What is going on?" The 'Bot didn't seem to know. The femme continued to struggled but began to tire. Then, her optics widened and she gave a scream of absolute fury. With renewed vigor, she tossed off the soldiers, not noticing how they simply disappeared. She flew down the halls, heading for the entrance. As she slid out, she noticed a platform that had Blast Mine standing in triumph over three captured 'bots, Ratchet, Jazz and Hound. And to her horror, he held her two precious sparklings in his arms.

"No!" she screamed, spreading her wings to fly after them. Shots rang out and ripped through her wings, as she became airborne. With a cry of pain, she hit the ground, the impact rippling through her frame. She barley managed to lift herself up to see Ratchet's face at her injury and her mate's horror. She felt someone slid next to her and sensed Firefly watching the platform taking the mechs to a spacecraft waiting high above. Waterfall came bursting out of the trees, to the cliff that the platform was rising past. Give a cry of alarm at seeing the mechs; guns were aimed at her and a few warning shots were fired. The femme didn't jump but met Hound's optics in utter terror. The three could only watch as the platform disappeared into the craft and it's engines turning and within moments, blasted away. The other Autobots raced out to see it fly away and to hear Firefly give off a whine of distress as Eclipse shrieked in grief and pain. Waterfall seemed stunned and Trailbreaker, coming out of where Waterfall had, had to catch her as she collapsed to the ground, washer fluid falling down her face.

The Autobots were devastated at the loss. Elita and Chromia managed to pull Firefly out of her stupor with the reminder of Eclipse's wing and Whisper. The femme began to try and function, First Aid becoming a necessary help. Eclipse was moved to the medbay and given a sedative to calm her, a normal Transformer amount, which meant it was twice as strong. Waterfall was trying to keep going and was not as bad off since she wasn't bonded and had no sparkling. Optimus watched with a tormented spark.

Holding his sparkling close, he knew that something had gone terribly wrong. Prowl came up to him.

"I still don't understand yet what just really happened. But I know this. We have to keep an optic on those femmes. They are Guardians and if we can't try to soothe them the best we can, they will be up in arms. I don't doubt they will find a way to their mates and deactivated anything in their path." Optimus nodded.

"You're right. But we are going to find those mechs. They can't be far. We WILL get them back and they WILL pay for this treachery. That is for certain."

* * *

EH: All right. One of the main plot lines in the story is finally revealed. What is going on? What will happen? And how will Eclipse act when she comes online? You'll see but I've got one warning. I've got life throwing things at me left and right so if will be a while on updates on anything. I will try to write when I can but no promises. Also, suggestions and reviews loved. And if you have a name for Optimus and Elita's sparkling, let me know. I'll write as soon as I can. See ya. 


	9. Chapter 9

"Optimus Prime?" a voice asked. The mechs in the command center whipped around at the sound of the strange voice. Standing in the doorway was a strange mech. But they immediately recognized the symbol. A guardian.

"Who are you?" Prowl asked.

"My name is Flash Trick. I'm a leader of a leg of Transformers. I heard that a mech by the name of Blast Mine. Is he still here?" The mech seemed worried.

"No, he fled from here yesterday," Prowl told him.

"Where are the Guardian femmes?"

"They are in the medbay."

"Good. He didn't capture them. I was coming to warn the Autobots. However, I was interfered many times."

"It wasn't the mechs he captured. It was their mates." Flash Trick looked stunned.

"Their mates?" Prowl nodded.

"Oh no. This is worse. Prime, I must warn you know. If those femmes are allowed to leave, they'll go on a rampage. Blast Mine has been trying to tamper with the Guardians for some time now, trying to make them seem like enemies. If they lose control, they will deactivate anything that gets in their way. They may even forget their mates in their rage."

"I was afraid of something like this," Prime said, sadness in his voice.

"I have sent scouts to try and find Blast Mine so that we can rescue your soldiers. They were onto something when I last checked."

"Good, we would be grateful for the Guardians' help."

"I feel partly responsible for this since I didn't arrive in time to warn you."

"It is not your fault. This was something that happened. We can only try to rescue our friends as soon as possible." He stopped as First Aid ran into the room.

"Optimus, the femmes took off. All of them. I don't know where they went," he cried. Prime and Flash Trick looked horrified.

"Oh no. We have to find Blast Mine before they do."

Several hours later, the Autobots had arrived on a strange planet. The Guardians had found Blast Mine and his gang and several warping Guardians had taken the Autobots just outside of their base. They slowly crept up to the edge of the encampment and saw no one. As they slunk through the base, they heard voices shouting crude words. As they came upon the group, they were shocked to see two of their comrades tied up with the curl mechs laughing at their predicament as they were forced to kneel on a platform. Hound was nowhere in sight as Blast Mine stood near them, his face filled with an evil smile.

"Oh no. There are more than we thought. We might be overpowered," Flash Trick whispered. The two leaders and Prowl talked back and forth, trying to come up with something. They knew their time was running short. They decided on a plan and split up. They all froze when there was a shout.

"So the powerful Prime deiced to witness his men's fall," a mech cackled. Prime came out from his hiding place, grimacing at the situation. The still hidden Autobots stayed silent but were now getting mad.

"So Prime. You have come. I was wondering if we would have to send their heads to you. Not that it would have been a problem," he sneered.

"Release them Blast Mine. If you want a fight, then fight me. They have nothing to do with this."

"On the contrary Prime. They have everything to do with this. You see, they dare love those who are not worth being online. When I came, my original plan was to capture them, but when I realized they had mates and one couple sparklings, well, I couldn't resist. Besides, it will hurt them so much worse to feel their bonds destroyed." Blast Mine stepped towards Jazz, pulling a wicked looking blade from subspace.

"I think that this mech needs to go first. But not fast, no. That femme must suffer." Prime stepped forward but mechs surrounded him, leveling weapons at him, forcing him to watch. Jazz stared at Blast Mine, rage clear in his visor. Blast Mine raised his blade; ready to strike when a roar erupted from the shadows. A blue and white figure leapt from the shadows, grabbing onto his arm. Blast Mine shouted in pain as the bot crushed his arm in their bite. He stumbled back when they let go, looking at the figure in horror.

The Autobots recognized Eclipse right away. But the femme's visor was a bright red, boring holes into Blast Mine. Energon that was not her own dripped from her mouth and there were splatters on her chassis and claws. She slowly stepped forward. As another mech rushed forward, a gold blur leapt from nowhere, digging its claws into his amour. The enrage Firefly quickly brought him down. Her optics were also fire red, scanning the mechs in front of her. A mech with a bull alt mode charged the femmes. Firefly ran towards him, dodging his horns and reaching up to bite into his neck. The mech stumbled and Firefly darted away as he nearly crushed her. Eclipse lunged forwards and tore into the mech. Blast Mine and the Autobots watched horrified as she ripped into his chassis, destroying his spark. He turned death grey before falling to the ground. The two femmes advanced towards Blast Mine.

"You're dead," they rasped.

On the other side of the base was Hound. The tracker was sitting tied to a wall. He could hear the pitiful cries of Eclipse and Jazz's twins. His thoughts were in turmoil.

'_Why did this happen? What do they want from us? Is it to get at the femmes? Just because they are Guardians?'_ He looked out at the bleak landscape, matching his mood. His attention was caught as a guard stood up.

"Those blasted scrap heaps haven't shut up yet. They're driving me mad. I've got to shut them up," he snarled. The other guard didn't say anything as he watched him walk towards the sparklings' cage.

"No!" Hound croaked in fear. The guard simply grinned and reached for the cage. There was a snarl and he fell back with a cry. Someone with red optics came from the shadows. Hound saw that the green transformer was actually Waterfall. But the femme's attitude was cruel. As she advanced towards the guards, she hissed and crouched to attack. The guards open fired and the femme charged forward. Hound was stunned as the two fell, deactivated. The femme turned away from him, taking out equipment as she ripped through the area. It happened to release his chains and he quickly stood to get the twins. They huddled against his chassis, shaking and desperate for any recognizable pump beat.

"Waterfall?" he called when the femme appeared again. She turned to look at him, her face blank.

"Waterfall, it's me, Hound. What's wrong?" The femme seemed to pause but several more guards appeared, rushing at her.

"Waterfall!" The femme attacked with full power, not sparing any of the mechs. She did turn when Hound gave a cry of alarm as a mech attacked him. He was defenseless carrying the sparklings. A look appeared in her optics.

"Hound? No, Hound!" she cried. She turned and raced towards the two mechs. She slammed into the other and he swung a clawed fist, ripping into her side. She cried out as she slid into the ground. The mech went to attack Hound again and the femme gave a shriek of madness. Her Guardian symbol glowed and she was lost in the light. It burst apart to reveal a rebuilt form.

Waterfall charged at the mech. He turned and swung again but she dodged and transformed into the strange creature. She let off a barraged of weapons and the mech fell. She stood there when there was a rumble. Suddenly, everything twisted out of proportion and then they found themselves in the middle of a new planet and in the middle of a storm. Water raged around them and Waterfall leapt out of the way of a small mudslide. She looked around and saw Hound huddling around the two sparklings.

"Hound!" she raced towards them and knelt by his side. There was a sound of something roaring and they looked up and saw a raging river of water racing towards them. Waterfall took a step back and transformed. But instead of her other alt mode, she transformed into a huge, green serpent.

"Hound! Get on!"

"What?!"

"Get on. I can carry you back to the others." Hound looked uncertain but as the water raced closer, he scrambled onto her back and she headed away for the danger.

Farther away, Ratchet and Jazz were in trouble. They were stuck on a cliff with no way to get to safety.

"What is going on? Where are we?"

"I think that we somehow warped here. But this was apparently a very bad time," Jazz answered. The two watched as everything around them began to fall and was destroyed.

"Jazz! Ratchet!" a voice called. On a cliff above them stood Firefly. She leapt down to them in her wolf mode.

"Firefly! Are you all right?" Ratchet asked. They could see the panic in her optics.

"I think. But what is going on? Where are we?" she asked.

"Ya mean ya don't remember anythin'?" Jazz asked. The femme shook her head then looked up in alarm as rocks fell around them.

"Ratchet! Get on my back! We need to get out of here!"

"What do you mean? You can't carry me."

"Yes I can. Get on. We have to move so that Eclipse can get Jazz." The CMO looked uncertain but with her urging, got on. He held on as Firefly leapt to another cliff. They watched as Eclipse landed and helped Jazz onto her back. As she took to the air, Firefly began to head in the same direction as her. Soon, they saw the Autobots huddled together. They saw Waterfall curled next to Hound as they slid next to them.

"Eclipse, Firefly. Are you two okay?" Prime shouted over the storm.

"Yeah, but we need to get out of here. Flash Point! Get us out of here!" Eclipse shouted. A Guardian appeared and they warped back to base. There were cries as they were pulled through a gateway. They crashed to the Ark's floor. Ratchet and Jazz managed to catch their bond mates as they were forced from their alt modes and collapsed to the floor. Waterfall was also forced from her alt mode and managed to lean against Hound. They all took a moment to get everything to right itself. Ratchet let First Aid help him to his feet and scanned over everyone as he held Firefly. Eclipse untangled herself from Jazz and reached for the twins. Hound handed them to her and she nuzzled reassurances to them. Slowly, the Autobots managed to organize themselves and made their way to where they needed to get. As night fell, they all fell deep into recharge, mates holding each other close, the Twins giving up their individual berths to press against each other's backs while the other Autobots shared similar thoughts.

As day broke, nothing disturbed the residents as they continued their quiet recharge.


	10. Chapter 10

Eclipse and Jazz woke late the next day to the twins crying. Eclipse could barely move enough to bring one sparkling closer to her chassis and then shifted closer to Jazz. The silver mech pulled Gold closer to him before wrapping an arm around Eclipse. The femme immediately went back into recharge. Their sparks constantly sang to each other, making sure that each spark answered back. Jazz could tell that the femmes had panicked when their mates had been captured and Eclipse even more so since her sparklings had been in danger as well. Firefly had still been able to get to her sparkling, leaving her slightly calmer but still as dangerous. Waterfall and Hound weren't bond mates, but the green femme was starting to form a close bond with Hound. Jazz nestled closer before drifting back into recharge.

Across the Ark, Elita-One and Optimus were sitting in the command center with Red Alert, keeping watch as most of the Ark stayed in recharge. Elita cradled their sparkling in her arms, Prime often turning from the computer to rub a finger over the little one's helm.

"Hopefully the Decepticons won't rear their ugly heads," Chromia said, walking into the room. Elita glanced over at her.

"Knowing them, they will choose this time to strike. We unfortunely have to prepare. But we'll leave the two pairs and Hound and Waterfall alone. They need rest. It was a very trying experience, one that I think they don't want to repeat."

"It's true. Like they say, no wrath like a femme scorned. It's one thing to mess with a femme, another to mess with her bond-mate and creations. They don't take it lightly." Chromia walked up to the pink femme and looked down and the little mech.

"So you have you two decided on a name?" Elita shook her head.

"With what happened, we really didn't get a chance," she said.

"What about…Nexus?" a voice questioned. Elita, Prime and Chromia glanced at the doorway. Waterfall was leaning in the doorway, watching them with calm optics.

"Waterfall! You should be in recharge," Elita exclaimed, passing the sparkling to Optimus before going to Waterfall. She put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. But I kept having bad dream sequences," she looked up to Elita, "I didn't want to wake Hound."

"Come on, I'll take you to First Aid." She started to lead the green femme out of the room before pausing and looking back at Optimus.

"You know 'Fall, Nexus is a good name. I think it fits perfectly." With that, she followed the femme out of the room. Going down the hall, they soon made it to the medbay. Stepping into the 'bay, they were met by quiet. Only First Aid was there, tinkering with something. He looked up as the doors slid open and stood up when they entered.

"Something wrong?" He immediately noticed Waterfall who was leaning against Elita.

"She can't stay in recharge." First Aid nodded then moved towards a cabinet, pulling out a cube of red Energon.

"Here." Waterfall took the cube and drank it before handing the empty cube back to First Aid. Elita had her loop an arm around Elita's shoulder and led her back to her quarters. Waterfall gave her a small smile and thanks as the door slid open and she walked inside. In the room, Hound glanced up from his berth.

"You all right?" he asked her, holding his arm out to her. Waterfall moved towards him, collapsing on the berth. Hound slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. The femme snuggled against him, her systems purring lightly. The medicated Energon took hold and she fell into a deep recharge beside him. Hound laid his head back and returned to recharge as well, his arms wrapped gently around her.

Elita made her way back to the command center. Nexus chirped as his other Creator returned. The sparkling was nearly lost in Optimus's arms but completely content next to his warm spark.

In the medbay, Ratchet and Firefly were taking their chance to rest to the fullest. Whisper was calmly sleeping between them, not having been as stressed as the twins. But she had not taken to Ratchet being gone very well. She had sensed her mother's panic and had continuously chirped and whined for him. She had made loud sounds of glee when he had returned and Firefly had showered her with affection.

Firefly had fussed over Ratchet. He didn't say anything because he could see the worry that was still in her optics and feel it across their bond. He had finally convinced her that they should rest. The femme had stubbornly disagreed and wanted to watch over them. But as soon as Ratchet had her over to the berth, the femme had almost literally crashed into recharge. He had simply smiled and followed suit.

It wasn't until the next day until the rest of the Ark started to stir. The three pairs were left well alone to recharge throughout the day before appearing the day after. The Ark slowly began to return to normal, or about as normal as it could get with three older sparklings and a new sparkling. The femmes and their mates held stick to the rule of no cussing and the older Twins had found themselves almost slipping on more than one occasion. The mechs did think it was funny though to watch Ratchet start to head off into a rant then realize that he couldn't open his mouth with Whisper or the other sparklings around. They laughed every time they left after being repaired though they didn't dare do it to his face.

Several years passed. The Autobots gradually began to beat back the Decepticons. With the battle of Autobot City, the Decepticons had almost been completely destroyed except for very few survivors that managed to escape. They were hunted out and eradicated. The Ark's family grew when trigger happy Ironhide found out that Chromia was carrying a spark. When he was met with the stout little mech for the first time, he promptly named him Full Blast. And he was full, not of blast, but of mischief. When Eclipse and Firefly's sparklings began to grow into younglings, Firefly found herself with another little one. The Autobots had unmercifully teased him when it was another femme. Femmes now surrounded the temperamental CMO. Meadow Lark quickly won her father's spark nonetheless and enjoyed being in his arms as he went around to check on patients.

Hound and Waterfall had bonded during that time. Waterfall was the last to have a sparkling, a little femme that they had named Rain Storm due to when she had been born.

With the Decepticons gone, life was peaceful. But it certainly wasn't dull. The two pairs of twins, two sisters, Optimus and Ironhide's little mechs and the littlest femme never let it become boring. Some of the best times were as they were growing up. And who knows, maybe one day, a series of their stories will surface. Life with Love and War had sparked them and now, they were the life of peace.

* * *

EH: All right, that's all for this story. I hope you all enjoyed. And as the story says, maybe there will be a series of stories about the sparklings. It will probably be a prompt kind of thing, where the readers send in suggestions. I'll try to work on Ties of Destiny but I'm kind of at a stand still. I'll see you all around though! See ya! 


End file.
